Typhoon Keeps Heading West after Landfall in Mie

July 30, 2018

Tokyo- Typhoon Jongdari continued moving west over the Japanese archipelago after making a landfall in Mie Prefecture in the small hours of Sunday, causing heavy rain particularly in Nara Prefecture.

As of 6 p.m. (9 a.m. GMT), the 12th typhoon this year was traveling near the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, at 30 kilometers per hour, with its central pressure standing at 992 hectopascals and the wind speed reaching 25 meters per second, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Jongdari is the first typhoon on record since 1951 to head west after landing on Japan.

In Nara, one-hour rainfall of up to over 120 millimeters was observed in some municipalities including the village of Soni and the cities of Uda, Sakurai and Nara. Sediment disaster alerts were temporarily issued in Nara and Mie prefectures.

Many residents were ordered or advised to evacuate in the city of Hiroshima and other areas already hit by torrential rains earlier this month.

The typhoon also disrupted transportation systems.

Shikoku Railway Co., or JR Shikoku, entirely suspended train services, and West Japan Railway Co. or JR West, halted services on many lines including the Kansai and Wakayama lines.

Japan Airlines canceled 75 flights as of 11 a.m. and All Nippon Airways 46 flights as of 11:30 a.m., affecting a total of some 13,400 passengers.

The agency said the typhoon would stay west off the Kyushu region until Monday morning after passing through the northern part of the region. Jiji Press